Get ready to be impressed! Ha! I have sorted and tossed and ended up with a clean sewing room.
Now of course I’m not sewing or cutting anything so as long as I don’t do anything, it will stay this way. This is what I always think about those perfectly organized sewing rooms. You either organize or you sew – you can’t do both. And of course when I can’t find something it will be because I “put it away”. Sigh.
In my cleaning look what I found – someone mentioned that Minnick and Simpson also had a pattern that looked like Yes, We Can, America, and voila! I own it and it was right here in my mess all this time.
I have loved seeing your old cross stitch samplers –
Readers also sent counted cross stitch samplers –
Found this sweet little crocheted basket at the antique mall last week. Another rescue.
Game tomorrow at 12:30, Iowa women against USC – Caitlin’s #22 jersey is going to be retired – just in case you’re interested.
Your sewing room looks great, Mary. I love the samplers; I have one to photograph, maybe tomorrow.
We enjoyed a warm, sunny mid-day—-sweatshirt weather.
Take Care, 🥰
Mary, your room is beautiful! But, a messy room is a lot more fun.
This morning I vacuumed, washed the floors, did some laundry. Let Loretta in. She found some mud to play in and the floor is a mess again. The joy of spring…melting snow.
The wind is blowing so hard here, causing my security lights to turn on.
Jo – I can’t agree more – I sat here all evening not sewing because it’s too clean and everything is out of sight. Ugh. That changes tomorrow!!! I will clean first, run errands and then – oh, I have two quilts to bind before I can start sewing. Booo!
Read your blog daily. Love it!! I was very sick last year but hope to finally be on the mend. Wish I knew how to insert pictures of my quilts. Enjoy everyone’s quilts.
While everyone else will still have winter we are melting and will have to turn the a/c on next week. Oh so sad. Will turn the a/c down and sew!!
Sherry in Texas
It’s Winter🥰
Sherry – sounds like we were both pretty sick last year so I hope 2025 is better! Do you know how to send a photo to a friend via email? I can walk you thru the process – let me know if your pictures are appearing on your computer, IPad or phone. It’s real easy after that.
Sherry,
Isn’t it amazing how we can go from a week of freezing temperatures a couple of weeks ago to temps in the high 70’s and low 80’s!? By the way, I live southwest of Houston, Texas.
Mary,
I just watched the Iowa women’s game and the jersey retirement ceremony. A great win and a wonderful tribute to Caitlin. Wow! 🌻
Sunflower – wasn’t it all just wonderful??? I loved every minute and still can’t believe they beat USC. Caitlyn is the most humble athlete, celebrity,entertainer I’ve ever seen. Dressed so normal, too
You know we go over the pictures with a fine tooth comb!! And I noticed a round pastel circle hanging from the top shelf. It is amazing what we see and makes us remember. One year I made crochet angels, 10″ high for my sisters-in-law and my mother. I took a wide angle picture of my living room, card tables covered with projects. Everything was covered from wall to wall. I still have mine, but she is in dire need of a bath, starching and beauty shop to get her hair done. She did look angelic when she was new.
The sidewalks were damp when I got up. Then it was kind of foggy and now, about noon, it is snowing. We’ll just have to wait and see what we get. The man who lived in our block works for the city and he always spreads salt in our alley with the big truck. And if we are out in front shoveling snow, he always honks!!!
Take care, winter isn’t over.
Betty in Rapid City
Betty – of course you should recognize it – YOU gave it to me!!! I used a round stretcher because I couldn’t find a round frame – it lives where I can see it in my room.
Loved the samplers and crochet items. I don ‘t rescue them but I admire them.
After a short snooze yesterday afternoon I finally made it to the sewing room. I started moving stuff out from the wall in the last area in my sewing that needs cleaning. Yikes its dusty under the tables. So my plan today is to finish that area so I can sew without worrying about getting that done. I have been at this cleaning for a couple months. One side of the walk-in closet needs to be straightened up too but I can close that door. Ha I love being organized but I am not OCD. I would rather be creating than cleaning.
That’s my two cents worth. I need a walk today (no wind) to clear the cob webs!
Mary, You are an inspiration! Just what I needed to get to organizing mine. Your room looks wonderful! Thank you for the inspiration
I am so impressed with your neat sewing room. I got started on mine and then got distracted and am now working on 2 projects. I’d rather sew than clean! I know i have way too much. I save every little scrap . I have many times thought I’ll just throw them out but then the frugal me just can’t do it. Too many quilts, too little time. I don’t know what will happen to all the quilts. Love love love seeing the old samplers and crochet items. Reminds me of my grandmother who was a real needle woman. I just love your blog Mary.
Ginger – I love walking into my neat and tidy sewing room but when I start my next project it’ll be right back to its previous state.
There is certainly a trait us sewers and quilters do have and that’s being sidetracked while cleaning. I too pause too much and go off on another path to play. It’s so inspiring how fast you picked up your toys Mary!
I’m curious about baby rings that Mary Ellen mentioned. When cleaning out my MIL jewelry many years ago while she was present to answer our questions where this or that came from, she fingered three baby rings on a safety pin and said she couldn’t remember where they came from. I ended up with them cause I was always into miniatures and the other family said just take them to a seller which I never would do. So should I be making something with these?
I never even imagined why there would be rings made for a baby!
Kathy, my baby ring was a gift from the pastor who baptized me. He was a friend of my father, and they used my mother’s cut glass bowl for the font. I have the story, but sadly no pictures. My sister took all the pictures from mom’s house when she passed and had a flooded basement that spring. Sad, because we lost almost all the family photos, including the professionally taken ones of my grandmother in her casket surrounded by huge banks of flowers. They used to send those pictures to relatives far away, England in this case. Does anyone else have a family story like that?
Kris,
That’s interesting a ring being given at baptism. I think I’ve just got a piece of paper! And my children’s Bible given later in my youth.
So I imagine these tiny rings of my MIL’s would have been given too at baptism here in NY as that’s where she was born. Thanks for the information. It’s sad you’ve lost all those family photos that can never be recovered.
I once talked to a woman who had lost all her kids’ scrapbooks in a “garage fire.” I asked why the scrapbooks were in the garage. Didn’t they have bookcases? Wasn’t there room under their beds for scrapbooks? She looked at me like, who would keep scrapbooks under the beds? I think she must have been a very neat woman, without much heart, to put such keepsakes out in the garage.
Is the cupboard your stash?? I am thinking the shop holds your stash and the cupboard as fat quarters in it🤔. Trying to clean my sewing room but get distracted by my finds. A kit that I had cut fell on my feet so I had to sew it up. It is in the quilt pile now. A small kit that I had started at a retreat was on the cutting table so I am working on it-4 1/2 inch log cabin blocks. At this rate, it may take me a long time🙄
SW Ohio weather is predicted to be warmer so maybe that will motivate me to clean.
Marcia – you’re right – the bulk of my fabric is in the shop – the divided box on the right is fat quarters but the rest is half yard or portions of halves. I either brought the fabric into the house to work on or lay out for something and just left it. Good thing I have that big shelving unit. Now the shop is an absolute mess! Even needs vacuuming badly but it’s so easy to just walk out and shut the door – haha! I could spend days out there just looking and planning.
Wow!! Your room looks great. Now back to sewing. Thanks van for inspiring me.
Hi Mary, the crochet basket reminded me of my grandma, she crochet little baskets and old fashioned shoes with a heel, then starched them to give as gifts for brides. I have a couple of the doileys she crochet in many colour’s that l treasure. I am slowly doing a shelf a day( when possible) going through fabric etc, finding stuff and losing other bits, prefer to sew, but occasionally l need to tidy up! Take care everyone, best wishes from Sandy
Hi Mary….i’m Impressed with your room! I often try to straighten…. Then distracted when I find a ‘treasure to work on”!….. so I work on the new find! I also have lots of ‘trim aways to sew together too! I started hunting for gold baby rings after seeing you necklace many many years ago!! Only have about six I think! Better get them out of the box and have the necklace made! Did a jeweler do yours? Would love to see a picture of it again!
Mary Ellen – I will definitely show you my necklace again! Thanks for asking
Sandy – I love knowing what that little basket was used for because I didn’t know. I used spray starch on it but it could use more so I could hang it.
Sandy, so happy to hear the story about the crocheted baskets and shoes. My husband’s grandmother crocheted the little baskets and appliqued them to dresser scarves, then embroidered flowers “in” the basket onto the scarf. She crocheted the little shoes, and I have several that we hang on the Christmas tree. I also have one of the little plastic forms to shape the shoe over. It must have been a “thing” back then. I think our crocheters would have been about the same age. What fun to discover some old needlework treasures! Kris in WI.
Kris – I’m glad to say I don’t have such a sad story like yours.
Thanks for the game reminder. Will try to watch. I’ve been cleaning my sewing room too-not fun at all but my room is only about 8 x 9 ft.-very small! If it’s not kept clean, I don’t feel overly creative. Mine is taking longer than a day or two as I got my fabric out of plastic bins and bought new sliding wire baskets. Like them much better. Then went through all of my patterns and books. Just about done-after nearly 50 years of quilting, it was time to purge some things too.
Well, Mary, you inspired me to clean my sewing room so there will be two of us who can’t find anything. I will have to find my embroidered sampler. The stitcher had mounted it on a sticky board. The adhesive turned the fabric a very dark brown but I was able to rescue it by washing and sun bleaching the fabric.
Thanks for inspiring me. Now I can sew tomorrow.
DebMac – remember those little oil lamps? I still have your name on them. Do you think you’ll ever be this way or should I just sell them at the garage sale?